You'll Never Guess How Pierre Became South Dakota's Capital

Remember learning state capitals as a kid? Well, if you're not from South Dakota (like myself) you may have always had a hard time with Pierre. And as it turns out, it almost didn't become the capital of the Mount Rushmore State at all.

Nationwide, it's definitely one of the capitals people seem to forget the most. It also seems like an unlikely city to be a state capital in the first place. With a population of around 14 thousand, Pierre is the second smallest state capital in the entire country. What's the smallest? Montpellier, Vermont takes the crown with a population of about 7 thousand residents.

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Before South Dakota became a state, it was simply known as Dakota Territory, which comprised both North and South Dakota.

Yankton was the original capital of the territory from 1861 to 1883, then the capital moved to Bismarck. When North and South Dakota achieved statehood in 1889, North Dakota stuck with Bismarck as its capital. South Dakota, however, did not choose Yankton.

Because of Yankton's location, in the far southeast corner of the state, it was eventually ruled out as a potential capital. Contenders vying for capital status were Mitchell, Watertown, Huron, and Pierre. It then went to a vote in 1890. The city of Huron came in second place and Pierre was named the state capital.

Pierre was chosen simply because it was located in the near center of the state, along with being on the Missouri River. 130 years later and Pierre hasn't changed much, but it's still the most important city in the Mount Rushmore State.

10 Smallest Towns in South Dakota

South Dakota is loaded with small towns in every corner of the state. But where are the tiniest towns in the Mount Rushmore state?

According to the latest census data, here are the ten smallest towns in all of South Dakota. You won't believe which tiny town lands at number one.

Source: World Population Review

11 Famous People from South Dakota

OK, so we're not Hollywood, but there are a number of famous people who were born in the Rushmore State. Here's a list of 10 famous people who were born in South Dakota!

Iowa Palmer Company's Twin Bing Products

Can you even really claim to live in this part of the country if you've never had a Twin Bing?

WHAT IS A TWIN BING?

"It consists of two round, chewy, cherry-flavored nougats coated with a mixture of chopped peanuts and chocolate. The Twin Bing was introduced in the 1960s," -Wikipedia

Not only has the TB been a staple of the Sioux Empire for over half a decade, but the makers of the classic candy have also infused the unique cherry and chocolate flavor into lots of other things.

20 Years of Gas Prices' Ups and Downs

'Gas prices: giving us something to talk about with our coworkers for 20 years.' I don't remember where I first heard it, but that's the perfect way to describe all the pointless complaining sessions we all have taken part in over the years.

I don't much attention to the price of gas. Admittedly I do not work in a field that directly relies on equipment that takes gallons and gallons of gas. But, as an average car driver, I'm just going to pay whatever it costs.

It's not that I don't care, I just know I don't have a choice. I'm going to need gas, so I'm going to pay whatever they charge. Kids gotta get to school and I gotta get to work. The only real choice is to drive or not to drive. Walking the ten-mile round trip to work every day is impractical, especially during one of South Dakota's patented six-month winters.

Besides being low-key annoying, complaining about the price of gas is dumb because I remember things. Like that the price of gas has been up and down for at least 20 years. 2021 is no better or worse than 2003. It takes at least $40 to fill my tank this year just like it did in 2017.

But, why not dig into the photo archives and find some proof of memory. Because news stories about gas prices are the pointless small talk of journalism, there are lots of pictures of gas station signs from the last couple of decades.

Starting in 2000 we can see that rise and fall of gas prices in the United States. World events, natural disasters, and economic changes all affect the price. And all through those years, I paid what was charged.